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A paradox -- love thy neighbour; wage war upon him -- Community editorial board

Zainab Ahmed, 12, Olivia Dinel, 11, and Rachel Derbyshire, 11, representing the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths reprectively, l-r, have fun at the third annual London Interfaith Peace Camp held at King's University College. About 60 campers will visit places of worship and learn about fellow campers and their beliefs through recreational activities. The camp ends on Friday. (MORRIS LAMONT, The London Free Press)

Many letters to the editor and commentaries in this publication, as well as others, deal with religion.

They extoll us to change our ways or be subject to eternal damnation. They rant against the state of the world and how God shows his wrath by sending earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., to punish us.

Let me hasten to add that I have no problem with anyone practising or believing in any bona fide religion. All major world religions have at their core a message of love and peace among men.

This does not include radical sects as led, for example, by Jim Jones, which culminated in the death by suicide of 909 people in Guyana in 1978.

Another example of this type of fanaticism was the suicide of 39 individuals in 1997 with the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet. These people belonged to a sect called Heaven's Gate. They believed an alien spacecraft was hidden behind the comet. By killing themselves, they would permit the aliens to enter their bodies and be whisked away to a better place.

No mainstream religion condones this type of insanity. Most religions view human life as sacred.

There is no doubt that religion serves a positive purpose for many people. It provides solace for many during times of tribulation and distress. Many religions carry out notable charitable works. Moreover, the threat of eternal damnation probably prevents some individuals from carrying out atrocious acts.

There is, however, a downside to religion.

Religion serves as a divisive element among people. Different beliefs lead to an "us" and "them" attitude. Different denominations within the same religious beliefs can lead to conflict and often do.

More people have probably died in the name of religion than any other cause. From the Crusades to the Inquisition, human beings have been slaughtering each other in untold millions.

In recent times, Ireland went through a long period where Catholics and Protestants killed each other. While the underlying cause of this conflict was more political than religious, it was divided along religious lines.

It is always easier to use deadly force against the opponent when one believes that "God is on our side."

Today we have ISIS killing Christians as well as Muslims who do not adhere to their particular interpretation of the Qur'an. Religion gives rise to a tribalism mindset that can often turn neighbour against neighbour.

There is a paradox here. All religions extoll peace and harmony.

"Thou shall not kill," is a basic precept of all the world's mainstream religions, so how can religion be a cause or a pretext justifying the killing of other human beings?

The answer lies, of course, in the interpretation of the religious beliefs of the combatants. All religions are subject to a myriad of interpretations depending on circumstance. It is a simple matter to interpret religious beliefs in a manner that would be favourable to one's cause and portray the opponent as being in error, thus "evil."

These interpretations become the "Word of God" and therefore absolute truths that are not open to discussion. It is an easy step to justify destroying the one who does not accept the "Word of God" by any means possible.

Modern democracies have as a basic premise the separation of church and state. This has been a safeguard against religious differences boiling over into violence. In these societies the rule of civil law is paramount.

As modern science finds more and more answers to the mysteries of the world and, indeed, the universe, we can hope that humanity will overcome the divisiveness of religion. Not all societies will reach this state of ideological evolution at the same time.

Hopefully the future of the human race is a peaceful one where all people of the world can live in harmony.